Metal Mouth Message Board

Just a random update..... I was at the ortho yesterday for my normal monthly adjustment and I asked the assistant if there was anyway we could coax the few gaps still remaining to close any faster. She both took of my wires out and said "Go brush your teeth, I have a plan!" When I get back to the chair she explains that she will put a running tie on either side of my front teeth and put very thin rubber tubing between my two front teeth. That little rubber tubing has worked miracles in the past 24 hours. The gap has shrunk about a mm so far and let me tell you I can feel it! So I have about another mm to go before ALL spaces are closed after almost 9 months of powerchains and elastics. Although the ortho is still working on opening my bite more I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! Moral of the story: if you feel you've hit a stagnant spot in your treatment, don't be afraid to speak up!

I also have this one space between my lower right seven and six that has not wanted to close so my ortho brought out the big guns. She had my assistant fuse an extra hook to my wire and got one of those blue spaces and connected my seven tooth hook to the number five fused hook. Wow I was pretty sore for a few days but I was soooo happy that I saw some movement and now its just a slight gap. Thats after they had two powerchains for two months which did a whole lot of nothing. I'm hoping that by next adjustment that gap will close and if not I’m considering just leaving it there because I'm sooooo ready to get these off.!!! My assistant also said that the space was one of the last options to get that gap to close and if that doesnt work I'm okay with a slight gap back there. I'll just have to floss after each meal which will take seconds without braces compaired to with them.